Chilean Mesquite

If you happen to be searching for a fast growing and solid shade providing desert friendly tree then you need to look no further than the Chilean Mesquite, Prosopis chilensis for this is your tree. As the name suggests the origin and nattve habitat of the tree is the dry, interior valley's of central Chile.

There are many positives about the Chilean Mesquite for sure. As briefly mentioned before the tree is famously fast growing and for a desert tree it is a fairly tall grower. Chilean Mesquite's can grow up to 40 feet. The tree is also a broad spreading tree to 30 feet. Chilean Mesquite provides dense, not filtered, shade. The tree is tough. It takes full-sun and the reflected heat from streets and buildings and in winter it can take low temps down to the mid teens.

Chilean Mesquite is an extremely drought tolerant tree that prefers infrequent and very deep watering. In late spring and summer it blooms these puffy pastel-yellow flowers that have an interesting structure. The tree is very attractive. In its natural form Chilean Mesquite is somewhat arching, especially when young. They are also semi-deciduous in the summer and winter as well. They are also very adaptable to a wide range of soils and will take acidic soils. All of these attributes make this tree a wonderful addition to the xeriscape garden.

Now that you are familiar with the positive features of the tree there are some down sides that, to be fair, must also be mentioned. Chilean Mesquite does involve a moderate amount of work so if you aren't one for occasional maintenance around the yard this may not be the tree for you. Because of its dense foliage and semi-deciduous nature the tree can be somewhat messy. Be sure to take that into consideration if you have a pool or some other water feature. As for those pastel-yellow flowers well, they can stain decks and even concrete if allowed to pile-up and get wet so take that into consideration as well if you have a pool or some other water feature.

After bloom time Chilean Mesquite produces an abundance of elongated bean pods that should be picked up because the tree readily self propagates. Lastly, in its native form,Chilean Mesquite has pointed and sharp thorns that can be quite nasty and somewhat hazardous if not taken into consideration. There are hybrid versions that are thornless so definitely look for those if thorns are a concern.

OK, so lets review. Chilean Mesquite is a great tree, attractive, colorful, drought-tolerant, heat resistant, fairly hardy, and good shade production with some obvious negatives; messy, not good around pools, possible stains on concrete, and sharp thorns. To me the positives out-weight the negatives when we use to the tree in adequate settings. It might be worth considering using Chilean Mesquites in areas of the yard where there is minimal foot traffic yet where the shade can be enjoyed at the same time.